


i've seen the devil, i've shaken his hand

by boba_tea_at_three



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Namikaze Minato Lives, Naruto is a cute baby, Why Did I Write This?, bc the shinigami's a fanboy, haven't heard of her, kakashi is fourteen and panicking, minato is a good hokage™ and will fix everything, plot?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24594169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boba_tea_at_three/pseuds/boba_tea_at_three
Summary: Minato comes to with a gasp.He blinks at the star speckled sky, damaged lungs heaving. He can feel his blood seeping across the ground, sinking into the earth as the cold night air stings at his exposed innards.I’m alive, he thinks, baffled.I’m alive.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato, Namikaze Minato & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina
Comments: 13
Kudos: 304





	i've seen the devil, i've shaken his hand

**Author's Note:**

> the title comes from 'bury me low' by 8 graves bc i legit heard that line, and bam, this idea popped into mind  
> and uh  
> have this mess ig

Minato is shaking. He’s shaking and he feels awful and he’s going to die, and so is Kushina.

He doesn’t want to die.

He wants to watch Naruto grow up. He wants to watch him take his first steps and watch him go to school and watch him graduate and watch him meet people and make friends, and he wants to do it side by side with Kushina. He wants to grow old with Kushina and he wants to become a father and maybe a grandfather, and he wants, he wants, he _wants_.

Minato doesn’t want to die.

But he’s going to.

He sighs, something that was far more painful that it should’ve been, and presses one last kiss to Kushina’s head.

His hands move sluggishly through seals as he channels just a touch of chakra and whispers, “Fuin.”

A bright light, a swirl of chakra, and it’s done.

“Good luck,” he murmurs, and he doesn’t know who he’s saying it too.

He breathes in, breathes out, closes his eyes, and lets everything fade to black.

Minato blinks into awareness. The world around him is a pure black, and he heaves a trembly sigh.

The Shinigami’s stomach.

He really wouldn’t see anyone ever again, would he?

“Don’t be like that,” a voice chides, and Minato jerks his head up, spinning on his heel to face the newcomer.

He gapes. “Shinigami-sama?”

The man hums, spiky white hair swaying as he comes to a stop in front of Minato. He looked oddly normal, really. His face wasn’t twisted in the grotesque expression from earlier, and his skin has evened out to a more normal, albeit incredibly pale shade, making him seem more human and less death spirit.

“That’s me,” the Shinigami says, and it’s almost cheerful.

That was.. disturbing. Very much so.

Minato blinks. “Uh - it’s nice to meet you?” he hazards, dropping into a bow.

“Nice to meet you too!” the Shinigami returns, giving a shallow bow.

 _What the hell?_ Minato thinks, bewildered.

The Shinigami laughs at his bemused expression. “I know, I know. Odd, isn’t it?”

A long beat passes before Minato realizes he was actually supposed to reply.

“Um - a bit,” Minato allows nervously. The Shinigami was talking to him. Like a normal person. Who was making _pleasant conversation._

He was somewhat terrified.

The Shinigami pouts - _pouts!_ \- before rolling his eyes. “Honestly,” he grumbles. “You collect a couple million souls, and suddenly, you’re the devil himself!”

“Who’s the devil?”

The Shinigami freezes. “No one,” he replies just a touch too quickly. “Just - ugh, cultural differences, I suppose.”

Minato eyes him. Cultural differences?

The Shinigami chuckles. “Nothing you need to worry about,” he says, waving a hand. “Unless they manage to figure out how to cross dimensions... ”

“What,” Minato says flatly.

“But that shouldn’t happen!” the Shinigami reassures him. “Uh - you wanted to know about the devil, right?”

It’s a distraction. That much is blindingly obvious, but honestly, at this point, Minato just - doesn’t care.

“Sure,” he offers, rubbing at his face.

The Shinigami grins at him. “The devil’s kinda like my counterpart,” he says. “Well, not my counterpart, really. I’m him and he’s me, but we’re not always - aware? He’s just like - me but with a different name.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, it’s sorta complicated,” the Shinigami says flippantly. “Anyways! I’m sure you’ve guessed, but you are now both dead, and in my stomach.” He pauses. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” Minato says dryly.

“You’re welcome!” The Shinigami beams at him.

 _What the hell?_ Minato repeats in his head. _What the hell?_

“So you’re dead,” the Shinigami continues. “And that kinda sucks. Now, here’s the thing: your kid’s life is like, super interesting. And after I went through the original, I’ve been screwing around with plot points and honestly, it’s been a load of fun. Like, there was this one time where I let Kaguya succeed and get this - your brat and some of their friends _time-travelled._ It was amazing! And there was this one time where I brought in this other soul, and let me tell you - ”

The Shinigami stops, noting Minato’s dumbstruck expression. “Too much, huh?” he says sympathetically, reaching over to pat Minato on the shoulder.

“What,” Minato croaks after he finds his voice. “ _What._ ”

“Yeah, well - it’s fun, that’s all,” the Shinigami says sheepishly. “But I gotta admit - I never thought what would happen if I brought you back! I mean, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, since you’re under my purview and all, but hey, no time like the present.”

“Back?” Minato demands, heart in his throat as he takes a half-aborted step forward. “You’ll bring me back?”

“Yeah,” the Shinigami says cheerfully. “Back to life, resurrected, whatever. I won’t touch your kid’s seal or yours, either, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Really?” he asks, desperation and confusion clear in his tone.

“It’ll be fun, don’t worry,” the Shinigami promises. “Well, fun for me.”

Minato gapes. 

The Shinigami pats him on his head. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” he says, stumbling over his words. “Yes, please - ”

“You’re _adorable_ ,” the Shinigami coos, and Minato tries not to be too weirded out.

“Thank you,” is what he says instead, dropping into a deep bow.

“Aw, none of that,” the Shinigami dismisses, pushing him back upright. “Just do your best, yeah?”

The Shinigami sticks his hand out. Minato blinks at it.

“You shake it,” the Shinigami explains, a little flustered. “Sorry - I always forget that this takes place in Japan.”

Minato decides to ignore that, and instead tentatively clasps the Shinigami’s hand and shakes it.

“There we go,” the Shinigami says with a toothy smile. He steps back, and with a snap of his fingers, a circular area under Minato glows a bright white, and before he knows it, he’s falling into a pure white abyss.

“Deal with the devil indeed,” the Shinigami mutters, but it’s drowned out by the air rushing past Minato as he falls and falls and falls and falls and -

Minato comes to with a gasp.

He blinks at the star speckled sky, damaged lungs heaving. He can feel his blood seeping across the ground, sinking into the earth as the cold night air stings at his exposed innards.

 _I’m alive_ , he thinks, baffled. _I’m alive_.

More blood pointedly leaks out of Minato, and he winces. And I’m going to be dead very soon.

“Yondaime-sama!”

 _Oh_ , he thinks blearily. _Good. I hope they’re a med-nin._

His head flops to the side, and bright, crimson red hair comes into view.

“Kushina?” he mumbles, trying to reach out and tap her. “Kushina?”

He moves his head a little more, vision already fading as he tries to see her.

_Did the Shinigami send her back too? Please -_

His eyes meet dull, glassy violet eyes.

 _Oh_ , Minato thinks again, feeling the prick of tears and a sudden, sharp stab in where his gut used to be. _Oh._

“Yondaime-sama!”

 _She’s dead_ , he thinks, and tries not to cry as the world spins and fades. _Kushina’s dead._

Minato blurs in and out of consciousness. He can hear things being shouted above him when he manages to stay awake for more than five seconds, and he thinks that the dark spots at the edge of his vision might actually be med-nin and not just his less than ideal health.

But he doesn’t really care about any of that.

Kushina’s dead. Bright, vivacious, cheerful Kushina who seemed larger than life was dead.

Minato spends his few waking moments filled with grief, because - because Kushina was the woman he had loved, was the woman who laughed at him when he burnt the food, was the woman who helped him with seals - Minato had wanted to grow old with Kushina. Hadn’t wanted to live in a world without her.

Kushina was his wife. She was Naruto’s mom. She was a bright spot of mischief and light.

Kushina was dead.

It just - didn’t click. It didn’t make sense. How could Kushina be dead?

Minato was alive at the whim of a god. Kushina was dead at the whim of a man who tried to play god.

The sharp turn from grief to white-hot anger flooding his veins surprised even himself.

Kushina was dead, and he was going to take it out of that man’s _hide._

Minato hazes in and out of consciousness, and every time he wakes up, it feels like something’s changed.

Hopefully, that something was the giant hole in his torso, but Minato couldn’t exactly check.

He wakes up four more times, but on the fifth - on the fifth, he hears a baby’s cry.

For half of a second, he wonders why in the world the hospital would put a baby in what he vaguely suspects is his room.

Then it clicks.

Minato tries to force his sluggish lips to move and manages to whisper, “Naruto?”

The dark spots at the edge of his vision - medic-nin - burst into chatter, and glowing green envelops his vision.

“Wait - no - ” he tries to say, and it comes out mumbled and sluggish. “Naruto - ”

 _My son_ , he wants to say. _Kushina’s son, her child, please - please, I want to see him - is he alright? Please, I want to -_

Minato falls unconscious again.

When he wakes up again, Kakashi's slumped in a chair by his bed.

He’s holding Naruto.

“Kakashi?” Minato whispers, voice raspy and hoarse.

Kakashi jolts upward, startling Naruto into crying.

“Shit!” he curses, and starts to rock Naruto back and forth. “Minato-sensei - you’re awake.”

“Mm,” he hums, watching Naruto’s scrunched up face start to even out. “I - how long has it been?”

“Three weeks,” Kakashi tells him, still rocking Naruto. “Minato-sensei - you almost - ” And now Kakashi’s face is starting to crumple, and oh gods - 

“No, no - Kakashi, I’m fine,” Minato says, struggling to sit upright.

“No!” Kakashi says hurriedly, pushing back down on Minato’s shoulders. “Don’t get up!”

“I feel fine,” Minato insists, giving Kakashi a concerned glance. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Kakashi gapes at him. “Am _I_ fine?” he repeats, incredulous. “Minato-sensei, you almost died!”

 _I did, actually_ , he thinks, but doesn’t say. No sense in scaring Kakashi more.

“But I’m alright now, aren’t I?” he says. 

“No,” Kakashi snaps. “You’ve spent the past three weeks healing, and the doctors say you’ll spend the next month on bed rest.”

“Month?” Minato says, bewildered. “That’s an awfully long time.”

Kakashi stares at him. “Minato-sensei - ” he starts. Pauses. Takes a deep breath, and snarls out, “Minato-sensei, there was a hole in your torse the size of a tree trunk. It took you three weeks to heal even though - even though you sealed half the Kyuubi in you. So yes - a month. And not a day shorter.”

Minato raises a bemused brow. “My, my, Kakashi,” he says, adopting a teasing tone. “This is the first time you’ve been so strict about a medic’s orders.”

Kakashi sighs, slumping back into the chair. “Please, Minato-sensei,” he says wearily, still rocking Naruto. “Just - take it easy.”

Minato laughs a bit, wincing at the slight sting of his ribs. “Can I hold him?” he asks, and there’s no need to clarify who.

“He’s your son,” Kakashi says wryly. “So, yes.” He passes the wiggling Naruto over.

Minato smiles down at the little bundle in his arms. “Hey,” he murmurs, poking Naruto on the nose. “It’s me.”

Naruto sniffs, a tiny arm flying free and landing on Minato’s cheek. He gurgles happily, tiny slivers of blue scrunching up.

 _Kushina was so excited to have you_ , Minato thinks, and tries to ignore the stab of pain in his stomach.

“Your mom was named Kushina,” he whispers, rocking Naruto back and forth. “And she loved you so, so much, I swear, Naruto, you don’t even know.”

Kakashi looks up. “Minato-sensei - ” he starts, hesitant.

Minato’s hands shake. “I know,” he says, taking a trembly breath. “I saw.”

Kakashi’s face twists. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” Minato repeats, grief and regret and sorrow tangled in his chest. “I know.”

He rocks Naruto back and forth as he gurgles happily, repeatedly slapping Minato with his tiny hand.

Minato sighs. “Get over here,” he tells Kakashi. 

“What?”

Minato rolls his eyes fondly. It takes some effort, but he manages to scoot away from the center of the bed, patting the now empty spot next to him. “Cuddles.”

Kakashi’s face does something complicated. 

“I’m in the hospital,” Minato says cheerfully, and only feels the slightest bit guilty for using that against Kakashi. “I get hugs.”

Kakashi gives him a flat look. “You’re manipulating me,” he accuses.

“Is it working?”

“No.”

In response, Minato hoists Naruto up in his grip, carefully tucking him between his arm and his chest. With his free hand, he gently takes Naruto’s pudgy arm and waves it at Kakashi. “Naruto wants you.”

Kakashi stares at him.

“Please?” Minato tries.

“...fine,” Kakashi grumbles. He cautiously crawls into the large hospital bed and awkwardly tucks himself into Minato’s side, leaning his head on Minato’s shoulder.

Minato coos at Naruto, beaming when Naruto’s fist clenches tightly around Minato’s finger.

“Konoha’s a mess,” Kakashi whispers. “There’s so many dead.”

Minato swallows. “Ah. Who’s acting as Hokage?”

“The Sandaime.”

Minato hums. “I have some information about the attack,” he tells Kakashi. “I’m going to need to talk to the Sandaime about this.”

Kakashi peers up at him. “What is it?” he asks warily.

Minato’s lips twist into a frown. “There was a man,” he says. “He could teleport and turn intangible. I had to fight him before I could go help with the Kyuubi. He was the one who tore the fox out of Kushina. He could control it, too.”

The memory of that man sends sparks of fury alight in Minato, and he has to remind himself to reign in his killing intent when Naruto starts to fuss.

“Sorry, sorry,” he murmurs, rocking a fussy Naruto back and forth. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Kakashi lays perfectly still by his side.

“Kakashi?” Minato asks.

“This man… he would have needed to have the Sharingan then, right?” Kakashi asks slowly.

Minato eyes him. “Yes.”

Kakashi frowns. “You… you might want to keep that information to yourself,” he tells Minato.

“What?” Minato asks, bewildered. “Why?”

“If he had the Sharingan, then he was probably an Uchiha. You weren’t awake during the worst of the aftermath, but the Uchiha have been…” Kakashi coughs. “Uh, under some heat.”

Minato’s brows furrow. “Why?”

“The Uchiha didn’t help fight the Kyuubi during the attack,” Kakashi says bluntly. “They evacuated the civilians instead. And people aren’t happy with that, especially since the Uchiha’s losses were fairly small, in the grand scheme of things.”

“Oh,” Minato says, turning his face back to Naruto. “That’s not good.”

“Yeah,” Kakashi says dryly.

Minato frowns in thought, rocking Naruto back and forth. Naruto’s tiny nose scrunches up as he resumes waving his arms, and Minato can’t help the instinctive _Kushina_ that shoots through his mind.

He swallows past the sting of grief and lets his head fall and land on top of Kakashi’s.

Kakashi makes a slight noise of protest, but Minato isn’t listening.

“The village is upset with the Uchiha?” he asks distantly.

“Mm.”

 _Kushina_ , he thinks again. _What would you do?_

_Tell them to fuck off, ‘ttebane!_

A wry grin twists at his lips at the instinctive thought of Kushina yelling at the villagers.

“Hm,” Minato hums. “That’s not good.”

“No,” Kakashi agrees. He doesn’t say anything else, but Minato knows Kakashi’s thinking of Obito and how much he had loved his family. Especially that cousin of his - who was it again? Shisui?

Something like that.

“Kushina’s best friends with Mikoto,” Minato murmurs, mind whirling as he pokes Naruto’s stomach. 

Naruto gurgles.

“She’s your godmother,” Minato adds in a conspiratorial whisper.

More happy gurgling.

“He’s so cute,” Minato sighs, and ignores the weird look Kakashi’s giving him.

The Sandaime comes in five hours later, and by that point, both Kakashi and Naruto have long since fallen asleep.

“Sandaime-sama,” Minato greets quietly.

“Minato,” the Sandaime replies, equally quiet. Minato couldn’t tell if the man was more afraid of waking up the baby, or the grumpy fourteen year old that looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks.

The room is silent, curtains fluttering, casting long shadows across the tiled floor.

“What now?” Minato asks. “Do I resume being Hokage as soon as I’m released? What’s happening in Konoha? What’s the death toll? And reconstruction - have we pulled shinobi from their missions? What - ”

The Sandaime chuckles, exhaustion clear in his voice. “Slow down, Minato,” he says, shuffling around Minato’s bed and slumping into the plastic chair with a long, drawn-out sigh.

“I certainly hope that you will resume being Hokage,” the Sandaime adds, removing his hat and placing it on the bedside table. “Less than a month, and already, I miss retirement.”

Minato laughs quietly.

The Sandaime gives a weary grin, and continues. “Konoha has been… better, certainly. Much, much better.” He scrubs a hand over his worn, wrinkled face. “We’re still counting the dead. Rubble is still being cleared from the streets, but construction workers and the owners of destroyed buildings have begun to draw out plans for the new buildings.”

“What about those who have lost their homes?”

“We’ve decided to keep the underground shelters open for everyone, instead of closing them off as per usual. We’ve needed to resupply the kitchens, but otherwise, it’s working as intended.”

“Ah.” Minato swallows. “So Konoha’s a mess.”

“To a degree never seen before, yes,” the Sandaime confirms, sighing.

Minato tips his head back. Thinks. Vague ideas spark to life on how to deal with Konoha’s destruction, the Uchiha’s situation, and what is undoubtedly a heated political climate with the creation of two new jinchuuriki, one of which is a child, the other the current Hokage. 

He sighs, and thinks of the masked man, thinks of Kushina’s ghostly white face and dull eyes. Thinks of fury coursing white-hot through his veins, thinks of the burning urge to go out, find that man, and tear him to shreds.

(The Kyuubi stirs in its seal.)

But then, Minato looks down at Naruto’s sleeping face. Sees Kushina in his nose, in his mouth, in the roundness of his face. And he thinks of a brightly laughing Kushina painting seals and summoning her Adamantine Chakra Chains with a wild smile. Thinks of a harried Kakashi landing on the windowsill of the Hokage Tower, a panicked _Kushina-san wants me to be Naruto’s nii-san - Minato-sensei - don’t laugh!_ spilling out of his mouth. Thinks of painting a room with Kushina, bright colors streaked across their cheeks and noses.

Thinks of a murmured _I want him to be happy_ during dinner.

 _The dead are with us_ , the orphanage matron had whispered when he was a child, smoothing a hand over Minato’s hair. _Do not lose sight of what they would’ve wanted._

Kushina had wanted Naruto to be happy. Wanted Naruto to live in a strong village with friends and family, where war was a foreign concept.

Minato breathes in, breathes out, and thinks, _I can do that. I can try._

“When do I start?”

**Author's Note:**

> minato is a good hokage™ and as soon as he's out of the hospital he will fix absolutely everything.  
> danzo? executed  
> uchiha massacre? not gonna happen  
> and so on
> 
> and when minato finds out abt obito, he v calmly thrashes obito, makes him regret everything, and then pats him on the head with a terrifying smile. but they fix their relationship.  
>   
> eventually
> 
> with a lot of help from kakashi
> 
> and naruto
> 
> ...it happens, i swear. i just didn't write it


End file.
